Safety traction athletic shoe soles



May 2, 1197 L. F. SCHMADEKE SAFETY TRACTION ATHLETIC SHOE SOLES Filed March 11, 1965 INVENTOR [GU/5 I? jC/JMADE'WE United States Patent 3,316,662 SAFETY TRACTION ATHLETIC SHOE SOLES Louis F. Schmadeke, 1818 Plank Road, Keokuk, Iowa. 52632 Filed Mar. 11, 1965, Ser. No. 439,105 8 Claims. (Cl. 36-32) This invention relates to the safety of and more particularly to the design of traction soles for numerous athletic shoes.

There are many instances, in athletic games, the participants desire to have as much traction as possible for the starting, stopping, and changing directions. The desire of this traction, under certain conditions, can be responsible for injury to the foot, ankles, and knee joints of the participants. Furthermore, instability of the foot can cause sprains to the angle.

Therefore, the principal object of my invention is to provide an athletic sole that will provide as much traction as possible, stability to the foot, and still provide a means by which the foot and leg of the participant be allowed to move to the inside. Under certain conditions this movement can help prevent injuries to the foot, leg, ankle, and knee joints.

Still further objects of my invention are to provide soles for athletic shoes that are light in weight, economical to manufacture, and durable in use.

These and other objects will be apparent to those involved in athletics.

My invention consists of the construction of and design of the left and right soles for athletic shoes, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, specifically pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of the sole attached to an athletic shoe,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the sole,

FIG. 3 is a transverse section showing detail of the longitudinal cleat taken on line A-B of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section showing detail of the transverse cleat taken on line C-D of FIG. 2.

In FIG. 1 of the drawing, I show the sole, designated by numeral 2, attached to the middle sole, designated by numeral 12, of an athletic shoe, designated by numeral 1. The sole 2 consists of transverse cleats, designated by numeral 3, longitudinal cleats, designated by numeral 4, and a margin, designated by numeral 5. The sole 2 has a base, indicated by numeral 13, of which the transverse and longitudinal cleats 3 and 4 are a part. The thickness of this base 13 varies with the thickness of cleats 3 and 4, type of material, and the athletic game in which the sole 2 is being employed. The construction can be of such materials that are acceptable to the manufacturer and in accordance with the rules governing the type of athletic game in which the sole 2 is being employed.

In the drawing, I show the design and position of the transverse cleats, designated by numeral 3. The minimum length of the cleats 3 extends from the margin, designated by numeral 5, on the inside of the sole 2 to the outside such that, the users big toe, the toe adjacent, and the metatarsals are included in the length. The cleats 3 at the shank and the heel, of the sole, are of such length that at least two (2) longitudinal cleats, designated by numeral 4, may be extended from the margin, designated by numeral 5, of the toe end to the margin of the heel end of sole, as shown in FIG. 2. Furthermore the length of all the transverse cleats 3 form a plane, designated by numeral 9, parallel to the curvature of the outside of the sole, as shown in FIG. 2. The plane designated by numeral 9, as shown in FIG. 3 is perpendicular to the sole. The rounded edge designated by numeral 6, as shown in FIG. 3, inclines at an angle of 3,316,662 Patented May 2, 1967 about forty-five (45) degrees and not more than sixty (60) degrees from the horizontal of the sole. Numeral 8 designates a plane extending perpendicular to the horizontal of the sole, as shown in FIG. 4. The angle of inclination of the plane designated by numeral 10, as

shown in FIG. 4, varies with the heighth and width of the cleats 3. The ratio of the height to the width of the base of cleats 3 varies from a ratio of two (2) to three (3) to a ratio of three (3) to four (4). The number of cleats 3 and the dimensions thereof varies according to the size of the sole being employed. I recommend a minimum of five (5) transverse cleats 3 from the toe end to the arch of the soles.

I will next describe the two (2) longitudinal cleats, designated by numeral 4. The curvature of these cleats 4 parallel the curvature of the outside of the sole, and extend from margin 5 at the toe to margin 5 at the heel, as shown in FIG. 2. The plane of the cleats 4, designated by numeral 7, forms an angle of about eighty degrees with the horizontal of the sole, as shown in FIG. 3. The angle of inclination of the plane, designated by numeral 11, as shown in FIG. 3 varies with the heighth and width of cleats 4. The ratio of the heighth to the width of the base of the cleats 4 varies from a ratio of two (2) to three (3) to a ratio of three (3) to four (4). The ends of the cleats 4 parallels the curvature of the sole, as shown in FIG. 2. The dimensions of the longitudinal cleats 4 varies with the size and the width of the soles employed. Slits in the longitudinal cleats 4 may be used to provide flexibility to the soles. Although not shown, partial longitudinal cleats 4 may be included extending from the toe end of the soles to the arch of the soles.

The drawing indicates that all of the edges of the transverse and longitudinal cleats 3 and 4 are rounded to aid the construction and to keep the edges from fraying.

The margin, designated by numeral 5, circumscribes the sole, as shown in FIG. 2. The width of the margin varies with the type of material and the method of attachment employed.

Participants in athletic games, by the use of my saftety traction athletic shoe soles, can achieve the traction needed to produce forward motion by the design and position of the transverse cleats 3, and oblique and lateral motion by one design and the position of the longitudinal cleats 4, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

The safety factor of my invention is accomplished by the stability provided by the combined use of the transverse and longitudinal cleats 3 and 4, the rounded edges 6 of the transverse cleats 3, and the combined use of the planes 7 and 11 of the longitudinal cleats 4, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. The design and position of these planes 7 and 11 allow the foot to give to the inside when the leg or foot is contacted.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my safety traction athletic shoe soles without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover, by my claims, any equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

1. In an athletic shoe sole, having a combination of a base,

horizontally elongated cleats on said base each having a continuous axis extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of the sole and horizontally elongated cleats on said base extending from the toe portion to the heel portion and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the sole.

2. In a shoe sole, the combination of:

a base designed for attachment to the underside of a shoe,

a plurality of triangulated elongated first cleats in paralleled spaced relationship to each other and disposed on said base so as to extend transversely of the longitudinal axis of the shoe and only partly across said base from the longitudinal inner side of the shoe to the longitudinal outer side thereof,

a plurality of triangulated elongated second cleats in paralleled spaced relationship to each other and disposed on said base intermediate the longitudinal outer side of the shoe and one end of said first cleats so as to extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shoe and transversely of the longitudinal axis of said first cleats, and

each of said sets of first and second cleats extending from the toe portion to the heel portion of the shoe.

3. A shoe sole as defined in claim 2 in which:

the ends of said first cleats adjacent said second cleats are perpendicular to the plane of said base and define a line substantially parallel to the longitudinal outer side of the shoe.

4. A shoe sole as defined in claim 2 in which:

each of said first cleats includes a vertical face and an inclined face,

said inclined face extending from said base downwardly and rearwardly to the bottom of said vertical face, and

the ratio of the length of said vertical face to the Width of said cleat adjacent said base varying from two to three to three to four.

5. A shoe sole as defined in claim 2 in which the longitudinal axes of said second cleats are substantially parallel to the longitudinal outer edge of the shoe.

6. A shoe sole as defined in claim 2 in which:

the edges of said first cleats adjacent the longitudinal inner side of the shoe are inclined within a range of 60 toward said second cleats.

7. A shoe sole as defined in claim 2 in which:

each of said second cleats includes two inclined faces of which one is at an angle of approximately relative to a perpendicular alignment with said base.

8. A shoe sole as defined in claim 2 in which:

the ratio of the length of said second cleats from the base to the lower end of said cleats and the width of said second cleats at their point adjacent to the base varies from two to three to three to four.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,408,214 9/1946 Husted 36-59 2,710,461 6/1955 Hack 36-32 X 2,833,057 5/1958 Hack 36-59 X 2,981,011 4/1961 Lombardo 36-59 3,006,085 10/1961 Bingham 36-59 3,018,571 1/1962 Doherty 3659 PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner. FRANK I. COHEN, JORDAN FRANKLIN, Examiners. 

1. IN AN ATHLETIC SHOE SOLE, HAVING A COMBINATION OF A BASE, HORIZONTALLY ELONGATED CLEATS ON SAID BASE EACH HAVING A CONTINUOUS AXIS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE SOLE AND HORIZONTALLY ELONGATED CLEATS ON SAID BASE EXTENDING FROM THE TOE PORTION TO THE HEEL PORTION AND PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE SOLE. 